What Ana Does

The trip from Sioux Falls to the Mount Rushmore KOA was a challenging one. The wind blew the RV around on the planes and through the Badlands, and it's not a very easy vehicle to keep in a straight line on the best of circumstances.  But, how fun was it to take the family to the world famous Wall Drug! I went in 1991 as a preteen with my family and it looked pretty much the same -- from the miles and miles of roadside signs to the actual building full of the strangest and oddest stuff.  Leah got a cowboy hat (obviously) and Alice and I found gems and minerals, including a very neat pipestone necklace on a leather band. We also spent $16 on donuts ... because we were there and the line for ice cream was too long. (Don't worry, we wore our face masks while browsing around, like nearly 75% of the other customers.)  Wall Drug The campsite at Mount Rushmore was our stop for three days and the site was a popular one -- since it was so close to the monument. Hundreds of RVs and ...

RV campgrounds vary widely, depending on the state and area. Some were gravel and some had grassy spots. Some had pools and activity rooms (which were closed) and some didn't.  We did our best to pick campgrounds that broke up the drive and had some amenities. Showers were always welcome. And laundry rooms soon became key. And we read reviews and filtered compliments and negatives through our lens -- do we care about certain complaints? Did we really need good shower pressure, as long as the bathrooms were clean?  We also quickly learned that this kind of vacation was a lot of work. Cooking the evening meal was an ordeal of planning, moving supplies out of the RV, cooking, then the long task of cleaning up. It was far from the relaxing vacation we'd have preferred.  In Sioux Falls, South Dakota we were lucky to get the pool (almost) to ourselves for a few hours. And could bike to the Sioux Falls falls for lunch and to explore the park. We're so glad we brought our bikes! ...

In the world of COVID-19 and isolation we made a family decision: We still want to go on a summer vacation.  We are desperate to get out of the house. We need a break from work -- both our jobs have been super busy. We love travel. We just need a vacation. BUT we had to be thoughtful and careful. No unnecessary risks or no additional chances of exposure to the virus. So .... No airplanes. No hotels. No reliance on restaurants. No crowded spaces. It didn't leave much.  I'll spare you the discussion and research and just tell you ... we rented an RV and traveled to Colorado by way of Mount Rushmore.  Main stops along the way were gas stations and grocery stores -- so no different than the public places we're going to now. We booked RV campgrounds and planned to enjoy the outdoors, away from indoor spaces and crowds.  And we didn't post a lot of photos on social media, just to respect the decision of those who are staying home and safe. And not let anyone think we don'...

This may be one of my favorite house projects ... mostly because it's in the heart of our home and gets used every day. And I had been imagining it for a long time. But also because we did it so quickly. We talked about it Saturday morning and by Sunday afternoon I was painting.   Here's our AFTER photo ...  And here's the BEFORE photo that I found from 2016, after our Halloween party.  The big questions ... is there dog hair all over the stairs?? Yup, there sure is. But we can wipe down the stairs when we're cleaning up. Can you JUST imagine all the hair and dirt in the 20 year-old carpet?! Gah!  I added this peel and stick wallpaper to this half wall to add a little visual interest and it's a fun element to see each day. The girls didn't like it at first, but it's growing on them.  So now I've just got to finish up the spindles on the second floor -- and there's A LOT of them. Hoping to wrap up this week.  Such a fun style update to this dated hous...

In our normal days, I wear a lot of hats. Mom, worker, wife, dog mom, house caretaker, etc. And I usually get transition time to change my hat.  I start work in the morning and I'm constantly interrupted by dogs, family members, the kitchen dishes (who mock me when they're piled up in the sink). My house projects, the laundry, my book, the beautiful weather, they all fight for my attention. And I barely had focus before this all started, but now that focus time is under a few minutes.  When I'm working, I'm always keeping an eye on the dogs, the kids, the house. And no amount of hiding or wearing earphones or trying to concentrate on one thing ever works. I always get pulled away to something else.  I'm a multi-tasker at heart, but it's exhausting to multitask as many things as I have been while everyone is home. I find places to disappear when I need to re-charge, but some days it's just too much.  And there are only so many hats I can wear on any given day...

Please excuse me as I stumble through this post. It's not going to be perfect or the best but I've got to put what I'm thinking down in writing, as that's how I best digest the world around me. This latest focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and the issues around being Black in our country is inspiring me to dig a little deeper and get a little uncomfortable about what I think I know and what I've been blind to.  Racism is an evil. And in my small world, where I come in contact with such a few people, I don't spend a lot of time peering into other worlds and realities. But the more I've seen these last few weeks, the more ugly it all is.  But what can I do about it? I'm isolated mostly in my house, I don't have many friends and I don't see my extended family very often. Am I exempt from helping? From contributing? Just because I'm a homebody.  And what does that say about what I'm teaching my kids? What am I exemplifying? Because tha...

Work continues on the stairs and it's getting close. There are a lot of little details that need addressing, such as the molding, paint touch-ups, and the tile floor on the landings. And the spindles that are in two other areas of the upstairs are primed and ready for two layers of black paint.  There are so many things I love about the stairs. And a few things that will take some time to get used to. But, there is one design decision I'm rethinking. The trim piece below the row of spindles are currently painted white.  ... Was this a mistake? Should they have been black? That piece is black on my inspiration photo (from www.ispydiy.com ). And the bottom of the spindles look a little messy, no matter how much I touch-up the paint. I could tape off that straight-line where the trim ends, and have a much cleaner finished look.  Is it just too much white? Or do I need to get used this new look of the stairs?  It's a call I'll make after the little-task punch-list is com...